Famous Korean restaurant chain, Kelim Dakdoritang, opens in Singapore with authentic garlic chicken stew

Kelim Dakdoritang has opened its first outlet in Singapore along Kensington Park Road in Serangoon Gardens on 1 Aug 2023.

The Korean restaurant is very well-known in Korea, with 50 restaurants across the country. Kelim Dakdoritang has 58 years of history, with it having humble beginnings in Seoul back in 1965.

Unlike most other Korean restaurants in Singapore, which tend to focus more on popular dishes like Korean fried chicken, bibimbap and bulgogi, Kelim Dakdoritang brings lesser known Korean classics to the country, with many of them not being commonly found outside of Korea.

The titular Dakdoritang, or Spicy Chicken Stew, is a must-try dish. This huge pot of stew is made using a time-honoured recipe, and is available in 3 portions — Small (S$36.90) is suitable for 2 pax, Medium (S$59.90) is suitable for 3 pax and Large (S$69.90) is suitable for 4 pax.

The Dakdoritang was filled with a generous amount of tender chopped chicken pieces, chives and tteokbokki (rice cake). Despite being called a Spicy Chicken Stew, I did not find the soup spicy at all — it tasted like a really good kimchi soup, sans the fiery kick. We were also taken aback by how strong and pungent the garlic aroma was. Personally, as a huge garlic fanatic, I loved it, but my dining companions found it to be too overwhelming for them.

You can opt to add on more toppings for your Dakdoritang, such as Kalguksu (S$5), which are knife-cut noodles bearing a similar texture to Italian fettuccine, King Oyster Mushroom (S$5) and Udon (S$4).

If you have any leftover stew, be sure to get Bocumbap (S$8), a Fried Rice dish cooked using the remaining garlicky stew in the pot. Though the volume of the rice was little, it was packed full of savoury flavour, with an enticing umami profile from the seaweed.

Definitely don’t miss out on Kelim Dakdoritang’s other side dishes, such as Dakttongjip (S$15.90), which is fried Chicken Gizzard. I’d never tried gizzard before, so I wasn’t sure of what to expect, but I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. The batter was light and crisp with a flavourful seasoning, while the gizzard tasted just like chicken, but with a chewier texture similar to that of squid.

Other sides to try at Kelim Dakdoritang are Dakbal (Spicy Chicken Feet) (S$19.90), Cream Tteokbokki (S$12.90), Jumeokbap D.I.Y Flying Fish Roe Seaweed Rice Ball (S$9.90) and Grilled Semi Dried Squid (S$20.90).

End off your meal at Kelim Dakdoritang with Hotteok (S$9.90 for 2 pieces), a delicious Korean pancake filled with gooey sugar syrup and nuts. With its warm yet chewy exterior and sweet, molten fillings, we couldn’t get enough of this.

The dishes at Kelim Dakdoritang are unlike those from most other Korean restaurants here. For an authentic and flavourful taste of Korea, be sure to swing by soon.

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